From the original artwork of Anna Blatman’s Hanging Rock to horizontal panelling and a soft colour palette that reflects the heritage past of his home, Scotty’s guest bedroom ticked all the boxes of a traditional country home, but with contemporary touches.
It was revealed last night and we have links to all the best items you may have your eye on to buy!
The working fireplace – a signature of his rooms so far – and a classic chaise lounge, are offset by Robert Gordon ceramic sconces, a cheeky garden gnome ornament and a custom “Tools Down!” embroidery to create a room that would be at home anywhere in the area, but can only belong to Scotty Cam!
Another local artist, Jessie Rigby lives in the Macedon Ranges where The Block is being filmed, and her piece Domum Montem Aurum is also beautiful. Shop it here.
The Block Tree Change 2022: week 2 guest bedroom reveals
I feel like this week’s Block rooms looked much better on the TV (and hopefully in real life!) than they…
Win the art from Ankur and Sharon’s winning guest bedroom
Today, our friend and interior designer Kathryn Bamford, recaps last night’s room reveals.
Whoa what a first week on The Block! Main bathrooms as the first room to complete and a room that could win the contestants $10,000 in cash, a fully mature tree for their landscaping and (wait for it) a $250,000 Winning Appliances kitchen upgrade.
With such a whopping big prize up for grabs the pressure was on for the contestants to deliver. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous for the contestants especially being their first week. Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes and if you won this week you were setting yourself up to most likely to win kitchen week with that prize.
House 1: Tom and Sarah-Jane (equal second place)
With traditional cornicing and ceiling rose, a restored original light fitting and ample use of panelling, this was a bathroom, Darren said, that’s simply “very impressive!”. And cost effective too, he added, with the panelling not only beautiful, but a budget saver by limiting the space that needed tiles. We wholeheartedly agree with Neale who said “I love art in bathroom”.
There were however some issues – the open grill over the door, some mis-matched metals, a lack of storage and a shower screen that was too short, but overall it was a room, the judges agreed, that showed a high level of sophistication and one that got them excited to see more!
House 2: Rachel & Ryan (third place)
From the second the judges entered this bathroom, one thing stood out for them all – the space! “This is massive!” Shaynna said as she took in the high ceilings incorporating wide skylights, double shower, floor-to-ceiling tiles and storage galore. But was it too much? And most importantly, was it country?
The square-set features, timber vanity, basin, “artful” lighting plan and curved glass all screamed modern luxury, the judges agreed, possibly too modern for a country home. A few heritage features might have softened the effect, Shaynna said before all asked the question: Is it appropriate in a country setting? Darren seemed to be the only judge who believed so. Neale and Shaynna were after more heritage elements.
House 3: Ankur & Sharon(last place)
“It’s shiny and brassy and something about it is not feeling authentic,” Neale announced. Neither Neale or Shaynna felt good in the space. Darren disagreed. “I like it!” he said, saying the sultry and moody feeling the team had created worked for him, however he was not keen on the nib wall.
But it was a controversial space, with Shaynna worrying the historic feel of House 3 (The Grand Dame of The Block as she called it) might get lost if the team didn’t pay attention to the existing features and work to incorporate them into their build. Shaynna recommended they do some homework on the history of the house and the era. Ouch!
House 4: Jenny & Dylan (equal second place)
Down a small hallway, and through an incredible arch and into what Neale described as a “fresh, welcoming and kind of timeless bathroom”. It was light and airy, made even better, Shaynna added, by the breathtaking view outside.
Darren really liked the sense of balance, with curved mirrors playing off the archway entrance, a blind at the exact height of the picture rail and skylights breaking up the ceiling. Shaynna felt the couple really had an idea of where they were now going with the look and feel of the home.
House 5: Omar & Oz (first place)
“Wow!” said Neale when he walked into Omar and Oz’s bathroom, and the compliments kept coming. “It’s sophisticated!” Shaynna said as she took in the 90-degree herringbone wall tiles, panelling and patterned floor tiles. “It’s stunning! I love it, I absolutely love it!” Neale added. “It all works, the palette is beautiful,” Darren summed up. “This feels like a bathroom that belongs in this house and belongs on this Block.”
It wasn’t just good looks, with features like a heated floor and heating above, face-level storage, power points in all the right places and luxurious shower/bath area making this a room to set the standard for this year. The only thing the judges could fault the boys on was some stickers left on the toilet!
Woohoo! The first Block reveals of the season! Let’s face it, they’re usually not spectacular as the contestants have barely found their feet yet, and they only have 48 hours, whilst getting their heads around how everything works. Could I do it? Not a hope in hell! And would I go on the show? No. Way. It would end in divorce and I’d cry every night for my kids!
(Read to the end for your weekly chance to win a piece of art from the reveals!)
Add in the first ever walkout by Elle and Joel (I knew it!) after a mere two days, and last night’s was quite the episode! Five off the grid houses in the stunning Macedon Ranges (six if you include the one Scotty’s doing) is quite the project! Let’s get into the first (bed)room reveals and what the judges had to say!
Tom and Sarah-Jane came first and chose to stay in house 1 (not the coveted house 4!). Dylan and Jenny got that one. Ankur and Sharon took house 3. Joel and Elle took 20 seconds and picked to stay with house 2 (until they quit!), leaving Omar and Oz with house 5.
Elle and Joel left without even saying goodbye, saying that The Block wasn’t “on brand” for them.Sarah-Jane, who’d made her thoughts about influencers and famous people very clear already, claimed she had seen it coming because “they looked miserable the whole time”. The others weren’t impressed either. But hey, we get a new couple (Rachel and Ryan) now! I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to enjoy watching Elle and Joel…
Next week calls for a bathroom so that will be a very interesting test!
House 1: Tom and Sarah-Jane (1st place)
The judges were impressed! Darren liked the traditional/contemporary balance. Shaynna loved the original ceiling rose. Neale thought the room spoke of contestants who knew what they were doing. And he even said he would have liked a lot of the elements in his own home! Not so much the artwork though (“the only bum note”) but Shaynna and Darren were fans.
House 2: Dylan and Jenny (second place)
Neale loved the sage green paint and the VJ panelling. Shaynna LOVED that both contestants were tradies and said the execution was excellent. Darren loved the flatpack made to look like a custom built-in.
Neale though the country vibe felt like a bit of an afterthought and that they’d thrown everything at it in the hope that something would stick. Darren said they’d tried really hard but their individual good choices weren’t working well together. And Neale said olive trees shouldn’t be inside either!
House 3: Elle and Joel (4th place)
“Where are we?” asked Shaynna. Darren said it was a bit like home (Bondi, coastal and boho) and not very Macedon Ranges. Shaynna said they hadn’t acknowledged the history of the home or the area. “They have smashed the life out of this home and that breaks my heart.”
Neale said if they stick with this look it’s going to get very stale and very samey and they needed to respect the original bones of the house.
House 4: Sharon and Ankur (third place)
Darren was not a fan of the “extremely rustic approach” Sharon famously proceeded with against Scotty’s advice! Shaynna said there was a lot of effort and skill on show and a very good eye. Neale said he wasn’t expecting to see it but it was very well executed. And they advised they shouldn’t run with this concept throughout the rest of the house!
I had feared these two would get more criticism!
House 5: Omar and Oz (last place)
Darren immediately said it was a shame the door walked you straight into the bed. Shaynna loved the original boards. Neale was happy they’d worked with the heritage. But aesthetically they’d gone Scandi which was a bit generic.
They said it was a room that belonged equally in a city or by the beach. And then they spotted the modern window and were horrified that such money had been spent on it.
The fake plant did not get past them either! Neale said it felt like property styling. “We want to see something with more personality here.” They said it wasn’t luxe enough but for 48 hours it was still quite the achievement.
What did you think of the results? Do you have a favourite couple yet?
Each week, thanks to The Block Shop and Artist Lane, we’ll be giving away a piece of art from the room reveals. For your chance to win this peacock, hit the link below. Good luck!
Last month, the other half and I enjoyed a packed weekend in cold but beautiful Daylesford. In fact, we took in Daylesford, Kyneton and Trentham and the stunning countryside on the drives in between. If you love homewares and antiques shops, great local food and wine and friendly hospitality, I thoroughly recommend a trip!
Frangos & Frangos, Daylesford
We arrived in Daylesford (just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne Tullamarine airport) late on Friday night and had more than one scarily close encounter with a mob (that’s the actual term!) of wallabies. It really is out in the country so do be careful if you’re tired and driving after dark. We spent our first night at Hotel Frangos, which can only be described as pleasantly eccentric, in the Alpha Suite. It had the honour of being both the largest headboard and the largest hotel bathroom I have ever experienced. Frangos is definitely unique. It’s part Alice in Wonderland, part Addam’s Family, with a lot of black and red. It’s very dark, and it’s clearly geared towards couples (apparently some of the rooms have mirrors on the ceiling, go figure) and trying hard to be arty and romantic.
The service from general manager Bernard was faultless, the bed and goose down pillows, exceptionally comfortable.
